The East Anglian Daily Times reports Azor Matusiwa and Jack Taylor both underwent surgery at the end of last season, leaving O'Neil short of senior cover through the middle of the park as Ipswich Town prepare for a return to the Premier League.
The club's preference is for a replacement with top-flight experience, which explains the interest in Lukić: the Serbia international has made almost 100 appearances in England's top division since joining Fulham from Torino in 2023, scoring twice, and built a reputation there under Marco Silva as a tireless, positionally disciplined presence through the centre.
The 29-year-old, capped 62 times by his country after coming through Partizan Belgrade's academy and spending seven years in Serie A with Torino, is entering the final year of his Fulham contract, though the Cottagers hold an option to extend by a further 12 months. No club-to-club contact has taken place so far, and Lukić is understood to be one of several names on Ipswich's list rather than a settled priority target.
O'Neil, who took over from Kieran McKenna earlier this summer, has already overseen five signings — Daizen Maeda from Celtic, Issa Diop from Fulham, Abdul Fatawu from Leicester, Kayne van Oevelen from FC Volendam and Emersonn from Toulouse — but none has addressed the specific gap now exposed by Matusiwa and Taylor's absences. With both injured players facing lengthy layoffs after their surgeries, Ipswich's need for a ready-made central midfielder is likely to sharpen the longer the transfer window goes on.
Lukić's profile — a proven Premier League operator entering the closing stages of his contract — is the kind of low-risk, experienced addition promoted clubs have often turned to in recent windows, and Ipswich's early-stage interest fits that pattern rather than suggesting an imminent bid.
Fulham, for their part, have given no indication they are ready to let the Serbian leave, and the option to extend his deal by a year gives them room to hold firm on any valuation should serious interest materialise from Portman Road or elsewhere.